Runaway
by Honeycloud of RiverClan
Summary: Kagamine Rin would like to make her own decisions, thank you very much. / A fourteen-year-old noblewoman finds herself on a long journey.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This work is not meant to be an entirely accurate portrayal of medieval Japan. I'm sorry if I made any stupid mistakes. Please tell me what you think of it!

And I don't own Vocaloid, UTAU, [insertcopyrightedthinghere], or anything else.

* * *

The castle glowed orange in the early dawn light. Kagamine Rin tugged her hood down, enough to shield her face from any curious onlookers. Her fine clothes had been replaced by servant's garb, and her long blonde hair had been chopped short. She was more than ready to leave palace life behind.

Taking one last look at the castle, she hurried towards the nearest town.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Rin found a place to sleep. A pile of hay wasn't exactly ideal, but it would do.

Some passerby gave her odd looks. She glanced down at her clothes. Slightly dirty from travel, yet still finer than what anyone else wore.

Her father had always told her that commoners were dirty and stupid, but she hadn't expected that even the _servants_ were better dressed than anyone she saw out here. Maybe there was a reason he never took her out.

She crawled onto the hay pile and closed her eyes. Sleep came soon after.

* * *

It was morning when she left. The road was dusty and hot, but it wasn't so bad.

After half a day of wandering about, she sat down by a tree to rest her sore feet. The sun glared overhead, and Rin felt herself starting to nod off.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was a boy (she assumed it was), a few years younger than her, yet with hair as white as her grandmother's. He tapped her again.

"Whaddya want?" she mumbled, swatting at him. He didn't answer, pointing down the road instead.

"Huh?" Rin turned around to see what he was pointing at, which happened to be nothing. She huffed. "I'm trying to sleep here!"

He dragged her onto her feet with surprising force for someone so young, pointing insistently into the distance.

She could barely make out a small white banner. It had a dark splotch on it, and as it drew closer she could see a circular emblem.

Her family crest.

Darn. They weren't as self-absorbed as she thought they were.

He gave her a look, as if to say _I told you so,_ and then ran off_._ Rin yanked the hood over her head and hurried after him. "Wait up! Where're you going?"

The boy soon disappeared from sight as she struggled to keep up. Seeing no sign of him anywhere, she decided to follow the road. It had to lead _somewhere_, hopefully with people that could help her.

It was nearly sunset when she found a place to stay. Kiyoteru was willing to accommodate her, albeit only after a lot of begging and guilt-tripping. She would be staying with his daughter Yuki.

In the morning, after he made her leave ("Go! I can't afford another mouth to feed!"), she wandered around a bit when she saw a mop of white hair.

"Hey! Hey you!" she yelled, storming up to the person. "Why'd you ditch me?"

They turned around, and Rin stepped back. Was she mistaken? The person looked much older. He seemed to recognize her, though, and led her over to a building.

She yanked her hand back. "Don't tell me you're going to...!"

He gave her a look that said '_Do I really look like the type of person to do that sort of thing?'_, but let go of her anyway.

She glared at him distrustfully. Mother always told her not to go alone with strangers, and the person definitely counted as a stranger. He sighed impatiently, waiting for her to make up her mind.

Rin figured that as long as she stayed a little bit away, she would have a chance of outrunning him if he tried anything. She did win a lot in tag.

So, against her better judgment, she followed him to the building.

* * *

He didn't try anything with her. Good, as he turned out to be a much faster runner than Rin was.

They wove through the streets, and finally stopped at yet another road.

She groaned. "Don't tell me we're going walking again..."

He pointed to a cart by the side, but Rin was reluctant to get in. ("What if the owner accuses us of stealing? What if it's missing a wheel? How are we going to ride it without something to pull it? What if there're rats? I don't like rats!")

After she'd finished listing the reasons they shouldn't take the cart (there were many), he rolled her eyes and dragged her along.

"Couldn't we have stayed in that village place?" she whined, leaning against a tree. The boy drew a circle in the air.

"What's that mean?"

He drew a circle with a scribble in the middle.

"What's that – oh."

And she ceased her complaining (for a while, at least).

Walking so much was really taking its toll on Rin's body.

She was tired, cramped, and most importantly, bored.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" she'd ask every once in a while (although the boy/whatever his name was – she was starting to call him Mime-san, since he hadn't said a thing since they'd met – implied she said that a lot more).

They started to pass fields, which she took as a good sign. Fields probably meant people, and people meant houses, and houses meant a place to crash for the night.

It was sunset when they reached the actual village, and as soon as she'd set foot inside he dragged her aside. They huddled like that for a while, and he would shove her back whenever she attempted to move.

Rin peeked out from her hiding spot. "Can we go now?"

Mime-san shook his head and motioned for her to stay quiet as a horse trotted past. It ignored them, and he let out a sigh.

She glanced at him questioningly and pointed to the road. He nodded and stood up, offering her a hand.

The streets were quiet as they made their way through the town. After a while, they came to an old house, built slightly farther away from its neighbors. He instructed her to wait outside.

Soon, he came back outside with a woman behind him. When she saw Rin, she frowned. "Who's that?"

Mime-san made a series of gestures, which he had to repeat several times. Realization finally dawned on her face, and she sighed. "Idiot. What was she thinking, running off like that?"

Rin blinked, and realized they were talking about her. "Well I'm not going back," she declared. "I don't want to get married to someone I don't even know. What if he's a creep? What if he picks his nose and eats his own snot? _What if he's a girl?_ I don't wanna get married to a girl!"

The woman looked frustrated. "First of all, I have a hard time earning enough money to support myself, and I'll have to find another job in order to take care of you as well. And no," she added when she saw the look on Rin's face, "I don't think there's anyone else willing to take you in. Second, your father's going to be looking for you and I don't want another run-in with samurai. Third, you have no means of defending yourself, and trust me - you _don't_ want to know what they do to young girls here."

"I am _not_ young!" Rin huffed.

"You're not an adult either. It's getting cold, so come inside and I'll figure out how we're going to get to the capital later."

Rin looked to the boy for help, but he'd already gone. Left with no choice, she begrudgingly entered the house.

The woman took a deep, exasperated breath. "Okay, my name is Nagone Mako. Don't touch any of the weapons. Also, you better know how to cook, 'cause I sure as hell can't."

* * *

A/N: Note that this is set around 14th century Japan, so Rin's "I don't wanna get married to a girl" part doesn't mean I have anything against lesbian/bi/queer people in general. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but considering people's attitudes today it probably isn't a far stretch.

Please tell me what you think! Updates will be erratic at best and will probably slow down once summer vacation ends.


	2. Chapter 2

Rin grimaced as she took another bite of the fish. It was charred and black, but the meat inside was at least edible.

Mako spooned some undercooked rice into her mouth. "Hey, don't say I didn't warn you."

The blonde missed her home (even though her parents were going to sell her to the eggplant-fetish guy). At least the food there was much better. She crunched down on some sort of unidentified vegetable (also burnt), quickly adding some rice to mask the taste.

If she got back home, she would never leave again. Arranged marriage notwithstanding.

"I pity you, Kagamine."

Mako whipped out a knife, while Rin fell backwards comically. Mime-san (whose name was now moot, since apparently he did talk) leaned over her shoulder.

"Whothafuck are – dammit Piko, you know not to sneak up on me!"

He shrugged, unapologetic. "So, anyway, I was out in town and there were these posters everywhere. Your family's pretty worried."

"They're going to marry me off to that purple-haired freak! I am not going to spend the rest of my life with him, much less have his babies!"

"Isn't that what the rich people do all the time?" Mako asked.

"Well, yes, but – that's not the point! He can go jack off to his sex toys for all I care!"

"What's a sex toy?" Piko asked.

Mako coughed loudly. "We are _not_ having this conversation right now. Piko, that's a Socially Inappropriate Question and I suggest you don't bring it up ever again. Rin, I don't need to hear a fourteen-year-old explain to him the finer details of copulation. And you still haven't given me a reason why I shouldn't kick you out right now."

"Uh, I don't know the way back?" Rin suggested meekly. The woman was scary.

Mako turned her glare to Piko. "Do _you_?"

He shook his head.

She groaned. "So I'm stuck with you."

Rin nodded.

"Well fuck."

* * *

Mako leaned over the sleeping blonde, yelling "Up! Get up!"

Kagamine yanked the blanket over her head and ignored her. Mako pulled it back, and soon they were engaged in a tug-of-war. This lasted a while, but eventually her superior strength won out.

The blonde glared up at her. "I was sleeping," she snapped.

Mako tossed the blanket to the side. "Yes, I could see that, but you have to get up _now_."

She grumbled her dissent, but eventually followed her outside.

"Now, you are going to help me do the laundry, because if I put this off any longer I'll be walking around naked."

"Why do _I_ have to do it?" Kagamine complained.

Mako gave her a look. "You want to sit on your lazy ass all day, go somewhere else. You're sleeping in my house, using up my resources, and I'm damn well going to make you do something for me in return."

Sighing, she relented. They went outside, where the blonde scrubbed half-heartedly at the clothes while Mako wrung them out and threw them into a basket.

"Ugh. This is so boring," she complained, when the clothes were finally hung to dry.

"Go make yourself useful, then," Mako snapped. "I have work to do."

"What work?"

"Eh, whatever makes a profit. Heavy lifting. Farm work. Even babysitting if I'm desperate enough."

And with that, she left the blonde in the house alone.

* * *

With Mako gone, Rin was free to wander about without her hovering over her shoulder all the time. _She's not my mother_!

There was a sword rack by the entrance, which was occupied by a battered-looking scabbard. The actual sword, however, was nowhere to be found.

She slid back the screen door to let some air in. A bug buzzed past lazily in the summer heat.

Unfortunately, there was little to do, and Rin absolutely loathed boredom. She stepped outside, closing the screen behind her. There was a small house a little way off, but upon closer inspection, she could see it was falling apart. Nobody in their right mind would want to live there.

A cat nosed at her foot. Rin squeaked, and it leapt back and hissed.

"Hey, kitty," she said, reaching out to pet it. It drew back, disappearing within the collapsed walls.

Shrugging, she continued her walk.

* * *

Mako winced as her hand brushed against the bruise. "Did you really have to smack me with that pole?"

"It was an _accident_," Kokone insisted, handing her a damp cloth. "I didn't know you were standing there!"

"Of course not. Silly me, I should've known there was no way you could see me _you were looking right at me_," she said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "My mistake."

"No need to sass me," Kokone muttered and stalked off.

After receiving her pay from Kokone's husband (whose name she had yet to learn) and another "accidental" nudge, Mako decided to make a quick visit to the market. Fruits didn't need to be cooked.

On the way home, she bumped into someone small. "Hey! Watch where you're – Kagamine?"

"Ssshhhh," Kagamine whispered. "I'm going incognito, remember?"

"What should I call you, then?" Mako whispered back.

Kagamine thought for a moment. "Just Rin is fine. Rin is a common name, right?"

"Okay then, Rin. You have eyes for a reason. Try to use them next time."

Once they'd gotten inside (and Mako checked to see that there had been no explosions or anything out of the ordinary), she handed her an orange. "Figured we could afford a treat once in a while. And this way I don't have to cook tonight."

Kagamine inspected it thoroughly. Once satisfied that it was perfectly edible, she ate it enthusiastically. "This is actually good!"

Mako glanced around to make sure there wasn't a certain white-haired brat sneaking around. "Hm. Better than burnt fish, anyway.'

"So, you got any more?"

"Huh? No, I only bought two."

Kagamine looked disappointed. "Darn. They're my favorite."

She glanced outside. Still a few hours to kill before nightfall, but there was little to do in the small farming community.

* * *

A/N: This chapter is just some filler. The ending is terrible, but writer's block has hit me particularly hard.


End file.
